Week 3 - Armor of God… The Breastplate of Righteousness …!

As a reminder these are my thoughts from the book, “The Armor of God” by Priscilla Shirer and if you want to waken up your spiritual life then I recommend you do this study.  I am going to have a combination of quotes from the book and my own personal thoughts… the quotes will be in red. 

Unrighteousness is what gives the enemy an invitation to make himself at home in our lives.  He feels welcome into your experiences when you choose to live in ways that are not God’s standard.  When you don’t line your choices, behaviors, and actions up with the Scriptures, you don’t have the opportunity to truly deflect the enemy’s advances in your life.  To live unrighteously is to allow the devil to have a foothold in your life. 

How comfortable does Satan feel in my life?  Does he feel right at home?  Have I given him complete access to my life by the way I have been living?  Do I need to do some spring cleaning, kick him out and start fresh again today?  Lord, give me the strength to do what needs to be done so that Satan does not feel like he is at home in my life.  I want to line up my choices, behaviors, and actions with your Scriptures.  I want to deflect the enemy’s advances in my life.  I do not want to give him a foothold in my life. 

Every single day, we are to make choice that align with God’s expectations. That’s actually the definition of righteousness: upright living that aligns with the expectations of God. You can’t live right if you don’t have the right standard to govern your behavior.  It is only after you have put on the belt that you can live in way that aligns with God’s standards. 

The truth is like the train track and your righteousness is the train.  The devil’s goal is to derail your train of behavior and righteous living off the tracks of God’s truth… We’re the ones who make the choice to pursue sin. But the enemy is going to try to catch you at your weakest moments in order to make it more enticing.  … That’s why we can’t just affirm God’s truth; we must align our lives to it.  The breastplate is aligning your life to God’s expectations and standards.

We have a constant battle going on within us… Satan is trying to derail us from following after God… while at the same time the Holy Spirit is encouraging us to live a righteous life… we have a choice to make.  We can’t depend on our own strength… we need the strength of the Holy Spirit to stay on track but unless we are remaining in the truth there is no way we will stay on track.  Lord, help me to not neglect Your Word… may I seek it daily… may I use it as a guide for my life… may I allow the Holy Spirit to mold me and protect me from the attacks of Satan. 

In our lives, the Belt of Truth carries the weight of our pursuit of righteousness… this means that no matter where you’ve been, no matter where I’ve been, thank God, no matter what we’ve done, no matter the bad choices that we’ve made, no matter our past, no matter the relationships, no matter the hiccups along the way, still you and I are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And the truth helps take some of the weight off your shoulders… It is the Holy Spirits job to make us more like Jesus.  Righteousness, then, is not behavior management, but change that comes from the inside out as the Holy Spirit chips away everything in our lives that does not look like Jesus—including attitudes, friends, habits, and actions. 

It is exhausting trying to change from the outside in… just changing my actions will leave me feeling like a failure… since I don’t have the ability to truly change my actions unless I first change on the inside… besides… it is the Holy Spirits job to sanctify me… my job is to allow Him to do the work and to seek after God.  It is a process… that takes time.  Don’t fight the change that He is doing… allow Him to mold me even if the change is painful and requires that I lose friends, activities I enjoy, anything… because my ultimate goal in life should be to know Jesus… and be like Him… everything else should dim in comparison. 

The heart. Arguably the most vital organ in your whole body.  Without the heart’s continuous pumping action, the body feels the diminishing effects, until ultimately, it cease to function altogether… and what the physical heart is to your physical life, the spiritual heart is to your spiritual life…

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life (Prov. 4:23, CSB).

Righteousness is right living—walking “in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1, ESV).

The way to guard our heart… the most vital part of our spiritual life is with the breastplate of righteousness… by living in a manner worthy of the calling we have received… if we don’t guard our heart… we will cease to function altogether.  Our spiritual life will die completely… leaving us vulnerable to even more attacks of the Enemy.   

Fruit flies: I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to get rid of these critters, but prepare for an arduous exhausting task… just when we thought they might be gone, there were more… I didn’t need to personally invite them into my house.  All I had to do was create an environment conducive for them, and they just invited themselves.  The environment I created WAS the invitation.

The enemy takes every opportunity to push his way into our lives.  And unrighteousness is all the invitation he needs to send his demons on assignment.  It not only leaves the door open, but also rolls out a welcome mat on the doorstep of your soul.

I may not have told the enemy that he is welcome into my life… or personally invited him into my life… but when I choose to disobey God or do things that are contrary to His Word (no matter how small I think they may be or how I may justify them… unforgiveness, bitterness, white lies, jealousy, gossip, etc.) I am opening the door to allow Satan permission to come into my life.  I know that I have created an environment that has been conducive to Satan’s attacks lately… but I no longer want to live that way.  I am going to take on the battle of getting rid of those little critters.  It may not be easy… it may be a battle… but I know that it is going to be worth it in the end.  Satan be gone… and take your friends with you…!

Human beings are made up of three distinct parts: 1) body, which allows you to relate to the physical world; 2) spirit, which allows you to relate to God; and 3) soul, which allows you to relate to yourself.  Your soul is what makes you a unique individual.  It’s your personality, your distinctive internal nature, and it is composed of four factors:

·       Mind (your thoughts)

·       Will (your ambitions)

·       Emotions (your feelings)

·       Conscience (your moral compass)

When Scripture speaks of your heart, it’s referring to the intersection of these four internal characteristics.  The heart is the centerpiece of the soul. 

Watch out the enemy is at work on all four levels.

Mind – How am I allowing the enemy to influence my thought life?  Am I believing any lies about God?  About myself? About other people?  He is the father of lies and will use negative thought patterns to keep us trapped and ineffective.  Fight back by focusing on the truth…

Will – Am I pursuing worldly ambitions that have no eternal value?  Do I spend my time on things that have no eternal worth?  Fight back by realigning my goals and ambitions to eternal, godly pursuits… seeking what God has for my life.

Emotions – Am I allowing the enemy to use my feelings to lead me into sin?  Have I allowed anger or hurt overwhelm me to the point of unforgiveness and bitterness?  Do I make decisions based on these decisions?  Fight back by focusing on the truth and obeying God’s Word regardless of how I feel…

Conscience – Am I allowing the enemy steer me in a way that doesn’t line up with biblical guidelines?  If I allow him, he will slowly (or quickly) lead me astray).  I don’t have to stay on this path… I can return to the right path and allow the Holy Spirit guide me at any time… He will fight this battle for me…!

The Many Faces of Righteousness:

1)   Perfect Righteousness  - God is perfect- as is His standard of righteousness.  When we look at this type of righteousness, it seems that wearing the breastplate is an absolute impossibility… Perfectionism is an utterly impossible, utterly unreasonable quest… if we aren’t careful, this pursuit can become a bottomless pit of idolatry. 

How do we shake free from our legalistic do-gooding, while at the same time meeting God’s standard?  We think he should be willing to adjust His standard to suit us… calling our lifestyle “righteous” when it’s really just a modified, watered-down version of His righteousness.

There seems to be two different ways we try to grasp with perfect righteousness on our own… we try to live a “perfect” life… becoming legalistic in our faith, which ultimately leads to pride and judgement… or we try to lower the standard of righteousness… so we have a hope of reaching it on our own.  But neither of these options are the answer. 

How often have I fallen into the pit of perfectionism… trying to lead a perfect life… or at least appear as if I have it all together.  How often do I claim I am righteous because I have lowered God’s standards of what it means to be righteous?

2)  Comparative Righteousness – Comparison is an often-used method for determining one’s righteousness.  But comparison is never an accurate barometer, because righteousness is adherence to God’s perfect standard.  So even if your actions are better than someone else’s, they’re still not as good as God’s.  Comparison soothes but it also deceives, making us feel justified with sinful actions. 

Comparison is another areas that is so easy for us to fall into… we fall into it on both ends of the spectrum…  “I wish I was as godly as…”  “At least I am not as bad as…”  We may not even be comparing against a particular person… we could be comparing sins… “I have never murdered anyone… I can’t be that bad…” but God’s standard of righteousness is perfect.  I can never reach that in my own accord…

3)  Imputed Righteousness – The cross took away the penalty of our sin.  Your sin and mine required a just payment. Death. For all of it. And Jesus paid it… When you trust Jesus as your personal Savior, the penalty of sin is removed and the gift of God’s own righteousness is given (imputed) to you… So when God looks at you now, He no longer sees your humanity, your frailty, you sin… your righteousness.  He sees you through the blood-stained filter of His own Son, the perfect Lamb of God. 

Perfect righteousness discourages you.

Comparative righteousness deceives you.

Imputed righteousness defines you and declares you innocent before all accusers.

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for my sins.  I never could have met this standard of righteousness on my own… the penalty of my sins should be my own death… but you paid that price… so I can be declared innocent.  Now that I am declared innocent… don’t let me fall into the lives of the deceivers… don’t let me live as if I am still a prisoner to sin.  Don’t let me fall back into patterns of perfectionism or comparison… trying to earn my own righteousness… a righteousness you have already given me. 

Practice makes perfect.  Most of us carry this theme into many areas of our life… but this principle doesn’t apply to every situation.  And one of the areas where it can cause a problem is in our spiritual lives- when we practice and practice in the illusive pursuit of perfection, either to gain the approval from God (which is completely unnecessary since we already have it) or simply to impress others.

This is an area I have struggled with a lot over the years… at times it is to gain approval from God… at times it is to impress others.  Regardless of the motive behind it… it is futile.  Lord, help me to realize that in my own strength I will never be perfect.  Help me to be humble enough to admit my faults and allow YOUR righteousness to cover me. 

Fourth type of righteousness:

4)   Practical Righteousness –

Ephesians 4:22-24 – Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and… be renewed in the spirit of your minds,  and put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (ESV).

He (Paul) was emphasizing the act of formally rejecting behaviors that were characteristic of their old self, those that aligned with “darkness” instead of “Light” (Eph 5:8), thereby breaking association with their previous manner of living.  This was the next step in living righteously- in practical righteousness- before God.

Sometimes lifestyle choices and habits are the same.  You may have indulged for so long, for example, or lived tethered to pride or anger for so many years that it’s become a comfortable outfit for you.  But they are symbolic of your old life. Dated. Antiqued. Out of character. Putting it off daily won’t be easy, but by God’s Spirit it can be done. 

The Bible is full of passages that tell us what we need to “put off”… falsehood, anger, sin, stealing, corrupt talk, bitterness, wrath, anger, slander, sexual immorality, crude talk, idolatry… the list goes on and on.  What characteristics do I need to “put off”?  What behaviors that align with the “darkness” do I need to reject? 

“Putting off” was not the end of Paul’s instructions.  Just because you’ve gotten undressed doesn’t mean you’re clothed again.  Wearing the breastplate of righteousness means replacing your old garments with carefully selected attributes that align with the light of Christ.  This is practical righteousness.

Again… the Bible is full of Scriptures that tell us what the attributes of Christ are… what we are to replace the old garments with; truth, honest work, sharing, building others up, thanksgiving, humility, gentleness, patience, love unity, peace, kindness, forgiveness, delighting in the Law of the Lord, obedience… the list goes on and on. 

What characteristics of the light do I need to choose to “put on” today? 

Practical righteousness involves both putting off and putting on.  These actions ARE the breastplate of righteousness.  Mind if I say that again?  We put on the breastplate of righteousness by making  conscious decision and a firm, consistent resolve to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom 12:12, ESV).  It is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day, repeated choice and action.  When you choose practical righteousness, you place a blockade between the enemy and the area of your life he most commonly targets- your heart. 

Unless we replace the old habits and characteristics with new ones… we will fall back into our old ways… that is why it is important to put on the new.  I need to make a choice every day, sometimes every minute… am I going to choose to walk in the ways of the world… in the darkness or am I going to walk in the Holy Spirit and live in the light.  It is only when I choose to walk in the light and put on the breastplate of righteousness that I can defend against the attacks of the enemy. 

Yes, corralling our flesh can be monstrously hard work.  And even when we do experience some success at modifying our behavior, important internal realities might still be left unaddressed.  It’s a struggle to address internal sins like lust and pride, or to purify our motivations and energize our attitudes with joy…. Both these realities—internal and external—matter to God.  Good behavior does not hide a sin-filled heart from God.  We are to be righteous through and through, not just in our behavior. 

So thankfully, there’s real help for us as we seek to put our practical righteousness into practice… It’s what God’s Spirit does in us and for us.  It’s not something you or I can initiate.  He does it.  God’s renewing work within us is what makes our putting off and putting on possible.  Practical righteousness is an essential, logical, organic offshoot of imputed righteousness. 

Changing our behaviors is not enough… God does not just want us to be “good” on the outside… He wants us to be clean on the inside too… He wants our inner lives to be righteous.  Being changed from the inside out is an impossible task if we try to do it on our own… it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can be transformed. 

Because the Spirit is always there to renew your mind, your potential of producing spiritual fruit is not just potential.  It’s available. It’s doable.  “Perfect makes practice”.  Don’t get caught up in trying to practice your way to an elusive state of perfection.  Instead, flip the script and rely on the perfect nature of Christ in you to affect your practice every single day… God is doing something this very minute to help you do what you otherwise could not.  He is renewing your mind, realigning your passions and attitudes, and giving you strength to live in a way that is pleasing to Him and a blessing to others. 

Lord, I need you to renew my mind… I don’t want to rely on my own actions… trying to be perfect… I will never measure up.  May I be so filled with your Holy Spirit and Your Word that I can’t help but have my life transformed… Lord, I recognize that I need you today… comfort my broken heart, refocus my mind onto You, realign my passions and attitudes to what brings You glory and give me the strength to live for You each day.  May my life be pleasing to You and a blessing to those around me. 

Changed behaviors, as well as the changed internal attitudes that produce changed behaviors, are each natural outcomes of health growth.  So if you want to grow in righteousness and see your life transformed from the inside out, spiritual health must be your focus.  One of the must cunning tricks of the enemy is to get us to sink our energy into changing instead of focusing it on cultivating health, and wellness in Christ.  But if we concentrate on having a vibrant, healthy spiritual life, we’ll automatically grow and change as a result. 

When we focus on having a healthy relationship with God we will start seeing changes in our life… the changes may occur in our attitudes, actions, interests, desires, ambitions, or perspectives.  The healthier our walk with God the more change we will see.  Instead of trying to “change” myself… I need to start focusing on growing close to God and allowing Him to change me… that is the only change that will have a lasting effect. 

Another word for this transformation that God accomplishes in you is sanctification.  Sanctification is the process by which you are molded into the image of Christ.  It’s the Spirit’s progressive influence on you. Over time, day in and day out.  He conforms your soul (your mind, will, and emotions; your heart) until it’s increasingly operating in alignment with God’s heart…. The process of sanctification is progressive.  Just as a baby matures in stages- toddler to teenager to adult- God grows and changes us from one level to the next instead of all at once. 

So often we want to be sanctified, perfect, holy… right now.  We are so impatient with the process… but it is a process.  Each day we are being molded into the image of Christ.  Little by little we are becoming more like Him as we allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives… as we draw close to God.  We need to quit judging ourselves (and others) not having arrived at our final destination and allow the Holy Spirit to continue with the sanctification process in our life. 

We must allow the Word to influence everything in our life… Millions of church attendees hear messages preached every Sunday and yet still live angry, unforgiving, deceptive lives. Why?  Because hearing (while critical) doesn’t achieve the same result as receiving.  Meditating on the Word, internalizing its principles, and then implementing them in your actions is what supports the work of God’s Spirit renewing your soul. 

I don’t want to just merely hear the Word (James 1:21-22)… I want it to do its work in me.  Lord, keep my heart soft to the work of the Holy Spirit… may I meditate on Your Word… and allow it to change my life..!